The Road to Civil War

William M. Gwin

(9 October, 1805 — 3 September, 1885) Born in Sumner County Tenn., Gwin was an American doctor and politician. After studying medicine at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky., Gwin practiced medicine in Clinton Miss. until 1833. Gwin was elected as a Democrat from Mississippi to the Twenty-seventh Congress, but declined renomination in 1842. Subsequently, Gwin moved to California and served as a member of the State constitutional convention in 1849. After California's admission into the Union, Gwin was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from September 10th, 1850 to March 3rd, 1855. Gwin was reelected to fill the vacancy caused by the expiration of his term, after the Legislature failed to elect, serving from January 23th, 1857 to March 3rd, 1861. Gwin traveled to France in 1863 in an attempt to interest Napoleon III in a project to settle American slave-owners in Mexico. Gwin retired to California but died in New York City in 1885. [Source: 'Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774- Present', available at http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp]

Member of California Delegation - The Road to Civil War [this display].

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